With the recent release of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab 5's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better and Living Better (Clarkson Potter, $27.50), Carson Kressley and Ted Allen of the Fab 5 chatted with The Herald about Miami, the book and the show. Here's what they had to say:

What do you like about Miami style?
Carson: The first thing I love about Miami is all the hot Latinos. Miami use to be my second home. When I was in the ad business, I was down there every winter.
Ted: There's a very beautiful group of people living in Miami.

Are you guys ever going to do a Queer eye here in South Florida?
Carson: I would love to . . . February in New Jersey is not that charming.
Ted: Let's see, South Beach or Atlantic City, hmmm. . . . Any chance we get to go to Miami, we jump on it. . . . That city has such a style and it's so individual and special and it's such a great mix of people. . . . So much great food, so much great nightlife, beautiful little hotels.
Carson: And did I mention the hot Latin men?

In the book, Carson, you wrote that people today are missing fashion role models. Who is your fashion role model?
Carson: I don't have just one. . . . I certainly admire Ralph Lauren because he has so many different styles, and I worked for him for so many years. He's been a real leader for me. There's Cary Grant, Steve McQueen, Adrien Brody, Lenny Kravitz. . . . There are so many. That's what's so important for straight guys, that when they see somebody that looks cool, they should keep it in mind so that they can use bits and pieces so that can develop their own style.
Ted: I think that's part of the reason why so many straight guys have responded well to the show. There aren't that many clear, obvious style role models anymore, like there used to be in the movies. We literally have to find guys that nobody taught how to shave, let alone tie a tie or make a soufflé or arrange flowers. For God's sake, what are these fathers doing?
Carson: Fashion means of the moment and fleeting, and it's really all about style. Style is forever, like herpes.
Ted: And diamonds.

Your book is out and so is your CD (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: What's that Sound?). What's next?
Carson: Hmmm, how about Queer Eye: The Musical?
Ted: Or Queer Eye, The Airline? . . . It'll all be all male stewards, shirtless with cute bow ties on.
Carson: The book really allows the people who can't be on the show [to have] . . . a little bit of guidance from us on how to buy the right wine or . . . buy a pair of jeans.

How do you deal with gay stereotypes?
Carson: I always have to tell people, ''Hello, no one is telling us how to act or what to say or what to do. We're just being ourselves.'' And if we weren't being ourselves, we'd be doing ourselves a disservice and our community a disservice because the whole point of being out and proud is being able to embrace who you are and to not make any excuses for it.
Ted: It's important to all of us that we are proud of who we are. There's a huge range of different types of people in the gay community and I think that we, to a certain extent, reflect that, because we're not all the same and we're all just being ourselves.
Carson: Our show is going to reflect those areas like grooming, cooking and interior design because that's what our show is about.
Ted: It's a makeover show.
Carson: Yeah, it's not a gay medical drama.
Ted: The irony that I think is so beautiful when the stereotype question comes up is that our show gives guys permission to ask questions like, ''What can I do to make my hair look good?'' It gives guys permission to ask questions about areas that were considered off-limits to masculine guys in the past. And the great thing about it, is that we are using these skills to help the straight guy to get the girl. If you think it's stereotypical for us to be fabulously dressed and perfectly groomed, we'll take it.
Carson: Bring it on!